Rudy Grayzell
was born in 1933 in Saspamco, TX, just outside of San Antonio. He grew up
listening to the regional mix of Tex-Mex and country music, but had his sights
set on being a baseball player. That is, until in his early teens, Rudy figured
out that being a musician was a much quicker route to the women's hearts. His
first C & W combo, the Silver Buckles, evolved into the Texas Kool Kats in the
early '50s. The Kool Kats (which included an 11-year old Doug Sahm) were good
enough to land a daily radio show out of San Antonio and regular gigs throughout
the Southwest, all under the sponsorship of Pearl Beer. This quickly led to Rudy
hooking up with Abbott Records out of Louisiana, where he cut 3 country-tinged
45s between 1953 and 1954. Tour dates expanded to include higher-profile shows
in Nashville and eventually the Louisiana Hayride, where Rudy shared the bill
with a soon-to-be-famous Elvis Presley.
"The nickname Rudy "Tutti" was given to me by the King,
Elvis, in Tulsa OK during a concert"
says Rudy. "I traveled with Elvis for about 1 1/2 years - wow, I was always in a
trance - Elvis was a top cat .
As rockabilly began to "evolve", Rudy made the jump from Abbott to Capitol. Rudy
says "I was more into the rockabilly thing, man. I needed to rock!" Three
singles were released in 1955, including "Hearts of Stone" b/w "There's Gonna Be
a Ball". Ironically, Otis Williams & the
Charms released their stepped-up faster version of "Hearts of Stone" just a
month after Rudy, and had a huge hit. "Baby, I lost a million bucks!" laments
our hero. In 1956, Rudy signed on with Starday Records, where he cut his most
rockin' records like "Let's Get Wild", "You're Gone" and one of the seminal
rockabilly tracks, "Duck Tail" (written by Rudy), which became a regional Top 10
hit out of Houston. He then moved over to the famous Sun label who released
"Judy" in 1957. Then it was on to Award Records and the 1958 single, "FBI
Story", which ultimately ended up being Rudy's last rock & roll recording for
over 30 years. Rudy crossed paths with Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly and Ritchie
Valens while touring through the late 1950s, but opted to relocate to Portland,
OR in 1960. Rudy spent much of the last 30 years as an "entertainer", but never
really lost his rockin' edge. "When you're young and you have a manager pushin'
you in one direction, it's hard to resist baby. It was a mistake, I admit it. If
I could do it again, I'd never have quit makin' the kinda music I like. Rock &
Roll music!" reflects Mr. Grayzell.
With a renewed interest out of Europe in the 1980s in his rockabilly sides, Rudy
contemplated a return to his roots. Full of energy and enthusiasm, and after
some well-received European tours, Rudy cut a 4-song EP for Norton Records in
1991, backed by the A-Bones. He started gigging on a more regular basis,
including opening some shows for Wanda Jackson and was ready to go all over
again. In Spring'98, Rudy approached Burnside Records about doing a full-length
rock & roll record for their new roots imprint, Sidebum. By June, Rudy was in
the Studio in Springfield, MO with the Skeletons, where they knocked out 14
tracks for "Lets Get Wild" in less than three days. The energy and spontaneity
of the sessions comes through loud & clear, and Rudy is singing at the top of
his game.

LET'S
GET WILD - Let's Get Wild / I love You So / Ducktail / You're Gone /
Jig-Ga-Lee-Ga / You Hurt Me So / Rockin' And Flyin' / Judy / Judy (take 2) /
I Think Of You / F.B.I. Story / You'll Be Mine / The Moon Is Up / Day By Day
/ There's Gonna Be A Ball